Comedy / Drama / Romance

Synopsis

Sutter Keely lives in the now. It's a good place for him. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he's the life of the party, loves his job at a men's clothing store, and has no plans for the future. A budding alcoholic, he's never far from his supersized, whiskey-fortified thirst-master cup. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finecky hovering over him. She's different: the "nice girl" who reads science fiction and doesn't have a boyfriend. While Aimee has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they're drawn together.

Sutter Keely lives in the now. It's a good place for him. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he's the life of the party, loves his job at a men's clothing store, and has no plans for the future. A budding alcoholic, he's never far from his supersized, whiskey-fortified thirst-master cup. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finecky hovering over him. She's different: the "nice girl" who reads science fiction and doesn't have a boyfriend. While Aimee has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they're drawn together.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Brian Taylor10 / 10

Spectacular spectacular

Growing up I always had a pretty utopian view on what being a teenager
in high school would be like. Once I got there, it was nothing like
what I had thought, and plus we had no kids that looked like James
Spader. Just because high school was not like a John Hughes film didn't
make it a bad thing, I just think I would have had more fun at those
schools than mine. Now a day in the perfect world is not what people
want, they want something real, and in "The Spectacular Now" it feels
like what being a teenager feels like today.

Now being a middle-aged man this is only a guess, but it sure feels
right on. Sutter (Miles Teller) is that guy everyone likes, you know
the life if any party. Sutter is enjoying every minute of high school,
great times, and a great girlfriend named Cassidy (Brie Larson) to top
it off. Sutter also likes to drink, and not the typical teenage
drinking, he goes as far as carrying a flask and even putting alcohol
in anything he drinks. After Cassidy breaks up with him, Sutter drinks
a little too much and ends up passed out in the front of a house, not
his own. He is found by Aimee (Shailene Woodley), who knows Sutter from
school. Sutter starts to gather interest in Aimee, but all the while
hoping to land back with the women he thinks he wants in Cassidy. Aimee
has never had a boyfriend and quickly starts to fall for Sutter hard.
With school ending soon, Sutter is all about the now, and has no idea
what his future will hold, he never wants to grow up, because where is
the fun in that?

A lot of people think that their high school years were their highest
point in their life. I mean you have no worries, no responsibilities,
you just live life. Everything is easier, including love because how
innocent everything is. Sutter and Aimee are at that point where things
start to move, college and life are in front of them making them have
to make choices they never had to before. Written by Scott Neustadter
and Michael Weber (500 Days of Summer) from the book by Tim Tharp, the
story is a real coming of age story. I know that is a bad description,
but where so many coming of age stories fail, this one soars. It is all
perfectly directed by James Ponsoldt (Smashed), who set the movie in
his home town of Athens, Georgia, and even shot the film in locations
he grew up in. It all comes together by the flawless performances by
Woodley and Teller who are perfect for each other on screen. I
sometimes think what it would be like to grow up in this day and age,
well I think I just got to see what life is like today and like this
movie it looks spectacular.

A rare worthy entry into teen Dramedy genre

Greetings again from the darkness. Coming-of-age teen dramas with a
comedic flair that speak to that tumultuous period of life are rarely
worthy of discussion. The exceptions hover film greatness: Rebel
Without a Cause, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, The
Breakfast Club, and Say Anything ... Along comes young director James
Ponsoldt and his adaptation of Tim Tharp's novel. While not perfect and
falling just short of the level of those classics, it is nonetheless a
welcome addition and quite interesting.

It's tempting to call Sutter (played by up-and-comer Miles Teller) a
happy-go-lucky kid. He's the frat boy type - quick with a quip, smooth
with the parents and girls, and the envy of the masses. That term would
be misapplied to a kid who not only is never without his flask, but
also gives them as gifts. He uses his wit and booze to dull the pain of
his aimless existence. We see his lackadaisical efforts at completing a
college admission form, and it's used as a plot device to track
Sutter's progression through the film.

Brie Larson is terrific as Sutter's perfect match ... right up until
she decides that his philosophy of living in the now (even
spectacularly) doesn't leave hope for much of a future. After an
extreme night of drinking and partying, Sutter gets awakened while
laying in a neighbor's front yard. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
is Aimee Finicky who recognizes the popular Sutter, even though he has
no idea who she is. Slowly, the two connect on a level previously
unknown to either ... some good, some not so wise (just like real
teenagers).

This couple of opposites learn much from each other, and soon enough,
Sutter is confronting his long last father (Kyle Chandler). No real
surprises what he discovers, but it's a life lesson that must be
learned. Sutter seeks more from his remaining family - a big sister
(Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who escaped the grind, and a workaholic mom
(Jennifer Jason Leigh) doing her best to provide hope for Sutter.

The script is co-written by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber who also
wrote (500) Days of Summer. John Hughes and Cameron Crowe proved they
could present teen dilemmas in an entertaining way, and this one
follows the same structure. This is a dialogue-heavy story as Sutter
and Aimee struggle alone and together to figure out life's next steps.

I will say that for the first few minutes of the movie, I found Sutter
to be the kind of guy that I would typically have no interest in. Tip
of the cap to the filmmakers and Miles Teller for turning that around.
It should also be noted that Shailene Woodley is so naturally
affecting, that her character never comes across as anything but
sincere. Given the state of today's mainstream coming of age stories,
this one definitely deserves a look and could gather some attention
come awards time.

Reviewed by Justin Bell10 / 10

A high school romance with more emotion and truth than any other

A high school romance between an alcoholic, party boy and a more
reserved, shy, girl. This movie did an exceptional job of hitting
reality. Everything about this movie was believable, and all the actors
fit their roles. This movie had a similar feel in style to Ruby Sparks,
in that at the heart it was a romance, but there was a lot more too it.
Family drama, fear of the future, alcohol, and even friend drama were
all in this, just like most teens experience.

In a Q&A afterwords an audience member asked why this was such a
idealistic school, and why it didn't have any bullying and the truth
is, because even though those exist, most schools don't have a serious
problem with it.

Another audience member said they didn't recognize anyone in the movie,
and that the lack of makeup made it feel more real. While the lack of
makeup is true, this movie has quite the cast list.